Yang Feng, Ph.D.

Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence - Department of Advertising, Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology

---

Dr. Feng is an Advertising Associate Professor in Artificial Intelligence. Her research explores how different forms of AI-mediated advertising shape consumer trust, perceived authenticity, and related responses such as AI aversion, as AI systems take on increasingly sophisticated roles in marketing communication. Using a mixed methods approach that integrates quantitative big data analysis, surveys, and experiments with qualitative grounded theory interviews, she analyzes the dynamics of consumer interactions with AI-mediated marketing communication to develop strong theoretical frameworks. She also investigates the use of emerging technologies, including augmented reality, virtual reality, and 360-degree videos, to generate interactive advertising messages. Her research on augmented reality and privacy issues has been featured in mainstream media, including the Washington Post and Good Morning America. In recognition of her contributions, she was named the 2024 Top Scholar in Advertising by ScholarGPS. Building on her research interests and commitment to advancing the field, she founded the AIM Research Group (https://fengyangamy29.wixsite.com/aim-group).

Dr. Feng is an award-winning scholar who has published over 40 scholarly articles in top-tier journals, including the Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, Journal of Interactive Advertising, Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising, Journal of Health Communication, and Computers in Human Behavior, among others. As the PI, she is a four-time recipient of American Academy of Advertising Research Fellowship in 2017, 2022, 2024, and 2025, respectively. As the lead author, she received the 2024 Best Journal Article Award from the Journal of Interactive Advertising and the Best Conference Paper Award at the 2020 Annual Conference of the American Academy of Advertising. Moreover, as a distinguished scholar-educator, she has won the 2024 Distinguished Teaching Award from the AEJMC Advertising Division.

Currently, she is an editorial board member of the Journal of Advertising, International Journal of Advertising, and Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising. Also, she is the associate editor of the Journal of Advertising Research and Journal of Interactive Advertising. Previously, she served as the Membership Committee Chair for the American Academy of Advertising in 2021 and 2022. In 2021, she served as one of the keynote speakers for the annual conference of the Japan Academy of Advertising.

Areas of Expertise

Advertising Campaign, Research and Strategy, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Audience/Consumer Insights, Branding/Brand Relationships, Social Media

Education

Ph.D., Mass Communication from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Master’s in Communication Studies, Nanyang Technology University in Singapore
Bachelor’s in Management, Communication University of China in Beijing

News

• Generative AI may help turn consumers into active collaborators and creators, study finds (October 28, 2025)
• Huan Chen and Jeongmin Ham Selected to Serve on the Journal of Advertising Research Editorial Board (September 11, 2025)
• Generative AI Can Help Turn Consumers Into Active Collaborators and Creators (August 22, 2025)
• Artificial Intelligence Has the Possibility of Revolutionizing the Advertising Industry (August 1, 2025)
• Three UFCJC Faculty Included in ScholarGPS 2024 Top Scholars Listings (June 3, 2025)
• All News About Yang Feng →

Publications

Refereed Journal Articles

Feng, Y., & Chen, H. (2025). Algorithm-shaped norms: How YouTube’s comment ranking algorithm influences consumer reactions to social issue campaigns. Qualitative Market Research. DOI: 10.1108/QMR-10-2024-0213

Feng, Y., & Sun, Y. (2025). Consumer empowerment through generative artificial intelligence: Enhancing brand narrative with collaboration, creation, and communication. International Journal of Advertising. DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2025.2547545

Feng, Y. (2025). The AI Genie in the Bottle: Charting AI evolution and aversion in advertising. Journal of Interactive Advertising. DOI: 10.1080/15252019.2025.2537019

Feng, Y., & Kim, H. (2025). Decoding the trust matrix: Unraveling key predictors of consumer trust in AI-generated personalized advertising. Journal of Interactive Advertising. DOI: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218499.2025.2464287

Feng, Y., & Xie, Q. (2025). Optimizing branded content for beauty and fashion influencers from a media richness perspective: How post topic and visual type intertwine to boost consumer engagement. Journal of Advertising Research. DOI: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/00218499.2025.2464287

Feng, Y., Xie, Q., & Chen, H. (2025). From social media to e-commerce: Mitigating the impact of negative online reviews through influencer inoculation messages. Journal of Promotion Management, 1-28. DOI: 10.1080/10496491.2025.2458299

Feng, Y., & Chen, H. (2024). Breaking new ground or opening pandora’s box? Insights from the special issue on AI and social media advertising. Journal of Interactive Advertising. DOI: 10.1080/15252019.2024.2428580

Feng, Y., & Kim, J. (2024). Why do people generate toxic speech toward woke advertising? The role of persuasion knowledge and cognitive dissonance. Journal of Current Issues & Research in Advertising. DOI: 10.1080/10641734.2024.2328576

Chen, H., & Feng, Y. (2024). Friend or foe? A mixed method analysis on YouTube users’ replies to top comments of femvertising. Qualitative Market Research, 27(1), 42-60. DOI: 10.1108/QMR-05-2022-0074

Feng, Y., Chen, H., & Xie, Q. (2023). AI Influencers in advertising: The role of ai influencer-related attributes in shaping consumer attitudes, consumer trust, and perceived influencer-product fit. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 24(1). DOI: 10.1080/15252019.2023.2284355

Feng, Y., & Xie, Q. (2023). Influencer marketing in web 3.0: How algorithm-related influencer following norms affect influencer endorsement effectiveness. Journal of Promotion Management. DOI: 10.1080/10496491.2023.2279768

Feng, Y., & Chen, H. (2022). Leveraging artificial intelligence to analyze consumer sentiments within their context: A case study of always #likeagirl campaign. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 22(3), 336-348. DOI: 10.1080/15252019.2022.2126337

Feng, Y., & Chen, H. (2022). Evolving consumer responses to social issue campaigns: A data-mining case of COVID-19 ads on YouTube. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 22(2), 195-206. DOI: 10.1080/15252019.2022.2063770

Xie, Q., & Feng, Y. (2022). How to strategically disclose sponsored content on Instagram? The synergy effects of two types of sponsorship disclosures in influencer marketing. International Journal of Advertising, 42(2), 317-343. DOI: 10.1080/02650487.2022.2071393

Presentations

Feng, Y., Hayes, J., & Cowan, K. (2025). A two-step framework for generative AI adoption in consumer search. Oral Presentation at Thought Leadership Forum on Generative AI and Advertising, Minneapolis, MN.

Feng, Y., Yang, J., Youngs, K., & Chien, T. (2025). Authenticity construction: Cognitive pathways and AI heuristics in interpreting authenticity of AI-generated advertising. Paper/Poster at Annual Conference of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, San Francisco, CA.

Zuo, X., & Feng, Y. (2025). Immersed across cultures: Narrative transportation, platform affordances, and Li ziqi’s global appeal on YouTube. Paper/Poster at Annual Conference of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, San Francisco, CA.

Feng, Y., Zuo, X., & Kim, H. (2025). Mitigating AI aversion: The role of human effort in AI-labeled ads. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Pittsburgh, PA.

Choi, H., Han, N., Northup, T., Yoo, K., & Feng, Y. (2025). Sexual appeal effects of plus-size model: What matters is functionality. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Pittsburgh, PA.

Feng, Y. (2024). AI unleashed: Transforming advertising research with intelligent insights. Oral Presentation at 2024 Preconference of Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, Philadelphia, PA.

Xie, Q., Jiang, M., Feng, Y., & Phua, J. (2024). Brand endorsement by influencers fueling the anti-vaccine movement: The roles of misinformation interventions and pre-existing schema in endorsement effectiveness. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Portland, OR.

Feng, Y., & Kim, J. (2024). Deciphering trust factors: Essential drivers of consumer trust in synthetic advertising. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Portland, OR.

Choi, H., Northup, T., Feng, Y., & Yoo, K. (2024). Will the sexual appeal of plus-size models work? Investigating the differential influence of feminist perspectives on consumer responses. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Portland, OR.

Feng, Y., Xie, Q., & Chen, H. (2024). Leveraging influencer inoculation holistically: Countering negative online reviews to boost e-commerce. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Portland, OR.

Feng, Y., & Yang, J. (2024). Opportunities, Challenges, and Ethical Implications of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Advertising and Mass Communication. Keynote/Plenary Address at Preconference of American Academy of Advertising, Portland, OR.

Feng, Y. (2023). AI-driven advertising: Balancing innovation with ethics. Oral Presentation at Intelligent Science Advertising Development, Nanchang, China.

Feng, Y. (2023). Narratives in the age of AI: The future of media, ethical considerations, and communication dynamics. Oral Presentation at CJC Research Friday, Gainesville, FL.

Feng, Y. (2023). Generative AI in media and society, contributions and implications of AI-powered content creation. Oral Presentation at 2023 UF AI Days, Gainesville, FL.

Feng, Y., & Xie, Q. (2023). Optimizing branded content for beauty and fashion influencers from a media richness perspective: How post topic and visual type intertwine to boost consumer engagement. Oral Presentation at Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Denver, CO.

Feng, Y., & Chen, H. (2023). Active or passive conformity? The role of YouTube comment ranking algorithm in shaping consumer responses to social media advertising. Oral Presentation at 2023 Annual Conference of American Academy of Advertising, Denver, CO.

Feng, Y. (2022). The use of natural language processing in advertising research. Keynote/Plenary Address at International Symposium on the Teaching of Computational Advertising.

Research

Specialization

AI and social media advertising; emerging technologies and digital advertising; human-AI collaboration

Courses

• MMC 6936 - AI-Driven Social Media Insights - Spring 2026 (PDF)
• ADV 4331 - AI-Driven Social Media Insights - Fall 2025 (PDF)
• MMC 6400 - Mass Communication Theory - Fall 2025 (PDF)
• MMC 6936 - Social Media Analytics and Strategy - Fall 2025 (PDF)
• ADV 3500 - Digital Insights - section 136B - Spring 2025 (PDF)
• ADV 4331 - AI-Driven Social Media Insights - section 2Y5S - Spring 2025 (PDF)
• MMC 6936 - Social Media Analytics and Strategy - Spring 2025 (PDF)
• ADV 4331 - AI-Driven Social Media Insights - section 873 - Fall 2024 (PDF)
• MMC 6400 - Mass Communication Theory - Fall 2024 (PDF)
• MMC 6936 - Social Media Analytics and Strategy - Fall 2024 (PDF)